What's On My Cutting Table...

I've had a pretty productive week of sewing and it has been all over the board in terms of projects. First up is something for my Grandnephew. My sister and her husband are off to visit their grandson tomorrow and I wanted to send a little something for him. Not wanting to take the chance (oops, done that before!) of getting books he already had, I decided to do something completely handmade and settled on a storage bag. Who doesn't need something for their crayons, pencils, or any other small items that need to be stashed? The fabric I already had so it was just a question of designing an embroidery to stitch. Voila!

Next up was pajama pants for me. I'm only 5'2" and it is so frustrating to find pajama pants that don't need 5-10 inches taken off the bottom. I had a hard time finding a pattern. After buying one on line and making a muslin in two different sizes that didn't fit, I tried one last time with a Sewing Workshop pant pattern. I used the Ikina pant and cut a medium through the body but a large for the rise. I could easily have added even more to the rise for comfortable sleeping. But here they are.

My third project this week was bookmarks. I decided to skip doing a page this week for the Stitch Book but I still wanted to do some slow sewing and the result is below. Everyone needs a bookmark, right?

It has been warm this week in New Hampshire and we are finally starting to get rid of some of the mountains of snow we had in February. I will be happy to see Spring come this year. Til the next time...

Liberty Shirt - Tried and True Pattern

I have made the Liberty Shirt from Sewing Workshop at least four times and I have never been disappointed. The finished product is, I think, much nicer than one would guess from the pattern picture. It is a beautifully drafted pattern with lots of teaching moments and lots of hints (such as having card stock cut in certain widths to use when ironing up hems). The precision of the sewing is important here and adds to the look of the finished piece. But you are well guided with the instructions so that the precision is easy to nail.

An example is here, where instructions are given for an uneven miter. If you do all your pressing and measuring just right, you are rewarded, below.

 

I made this shirt/jacket in a linen cross dye from Quilted Threads in Henniker, NH. I interfaced the collar and the front and back facings. Once finished, I thought the collar and back facing buckled just a little and I wish I had used something much lighter, maybe even organza rather than the iron on that I did use. 

I haven't done buttonholes and buttons yet since, in these Covid times, I am not shopping and I will have to search on line for just the right button. But, honestly, I may go without and just use the front as a place to highlight a special pin. 

 

I love the asymmetry, the details, and the easy fit. I didn't grab a picture of the sleeve, but it is bracelet length and has a vented opening.

Haven't gotten tired of it yet, and I've actually had to retire a couple of my previous versions since they were made so long ago and were worn so often that they just wore out! So, this will probably be made again. I did notice that I had to tape my pattern instructions where the folds were, which is a good indicator of a much loved pattern!